The other B word

My latest for Balanced Life is a piece about the hot B word, Bossy. As one of the women I interviewed said, “It’s not a case of being bossy. I am the boss.”

Bossiness can sometimes be confused with bullying, which is psychologically more challenging to deal with–think sabotage, humiliation, and intimidation. According to the SA Journal of Human Resource Management, preliminary research shows that bullying in South African workplaces occurs at a much higher rate than it does in many other western countries. One study found that 77% of South African workers had experienced some form of bullying at work. In comparison, in Scandinavia, rates ranged from one to five percent; in the US and Uk, from 10 to 30%; and in Australia, it was found to be between 50 and 57%.